Typical of my scatterbrainedness (is that even a word?), I have the following random thoughts running through my head....all at once.
1. I think my dog has fleas. Apparently $10 Petco flea repellent doesn't work.
2. I hate the kids' homeschool co-op. There is so much homework every week most days they don't have time for other classes I teach. We're dumping this co-op at the end of the year.
3. Pay day is one day away and it is a day too far away. Honestly, where did the money go?!!!!
4. I miss all my house plants that I had in Iowa. Movers wouldn't move them so they went to my mother who promptly killed all of them. Ugh.
That is all for today. :o)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Been in the house waaaay too long
Clearly I've been at home too long because when Paul announced that we had to attend a bbq at his boss' house this weekend; I panicked. Not panicked a little but major panic. I instantly was counting off a list of things I MUST DO in order to get ready for this informal get together.
1. Get nails and pedicure
2. Get my hair fixed....bad salon coloring job that I've just been living with
3. Get a spray tan
4. Come up with a fabulous side to donate to the dinner
5. Get new clothes
Yes, in my mind in order to attend this little gathering I had to do a major overhaul of self.
It became clear over the next several days that I have become an old hag living as a hermit here in Houston.
You know it's bad when you come out dressed for said bbq and your 11 year old is, "Wow Mom, you look really pretty" I was in jeans and blouse. She even suggested taking a picture of me.
In the end I looked fairly decent and they ate my salad (Texas Shrimp & Rice Salad). I may have freaked them all out as I was the only one not drinking alcohol. In fact the hostess asked me twice if I was sure I just wanted a water. Yes, I'm that boring.
1. Get nails and pedicure
2. Get my hair fixed....bad salon coloring job that I've just been living with
3. Get a spray tan
4. Come up with a fabulous side to donate to the dinner
5. Get new clothes
Yes, in my mind in order to attend this little gathering I had to do a major overhaul of self.
It became clear over the next several days that I have become an old hag living as a hermit here in Houston.
You know it's bad when you come out dressed for said bbq and your 11 year old is, "Wow Mom, you look really pretty" I was in jeans and blouse. She even suggested taking a picture of me.
In the end I looked fairly decent and they ate my salad (Texas Shrimp & Rice Salad). I may have freaked them all out as I was the only one not drinking alcohol. In fact the hostess asked me twice if I was sure I just wanted a water. Yes, I'm that boring.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Stressing out over my kids' education
Our children attended a Christian school in Iowa. I felt so blessed that the kids could learn in a Christian environment. It wasn't perfect there was the fair share of drama and not very Christian behavior but for the most part it was lovely. It was also expensive. Along with getting more and more expensive it appeared that the quality of the education was decreasing. The school had gone through a phase of doing online learning for the high school so as not having to pay teachers. It was at that point we decided to homeschool the oldest two who would be juniors. Now with the move to Texas we learned that the private education is even more costly so we're homeschooling the 6th grader as well.
I find the responsibility of their education to be a huge stresser for me. Although we chose a school prior I never considered their education to be a stresser. I had left it up to the teachers. Paul and I had high expectations for grades and our kids met those expectations for the most part so there was nothing to worry about. Now here I am worried sick that I'm going to dumb down my kids.
My 16 year olds are tired of me asking them if they think they are learning, am I giving them enough, etc. "Yes, Mom we're learning stop asking me!" Well, I can't help it!
There was no way I was going to teach Science and Math. I hate both subjects and I know I don't have a solid enough understanding to teach them. They all 3 attend a homeschool co-op for these subjects. I think a lot of homeschool parents want the older children to work independently. That's just not for me. I feel like if I do that I'm just throwing a book at them and ignoring them. Our oldest two probably wish their work was done more independently though. I usually read their History lesson out loud and ask them to follow along. It's not that they are babies it's just that I want to be able to stop and have discussion with them. That's the one thing I valued with the traditional classroom setting; discussion. In Literature I always read 1 chapter out loud and then assign the next 2 chapters for them to read. This has been helpful when we read books like The Kite Runner. We stopped and did have that discussion which I think they secretly enjoyed.
My 11 year old seems to already understand all of the English that she's learning. This has made things easier for me of course because she is flying through things but I worry that we're wasting time. I chose what was considered the best English course for 6th grade based on reviews (Rod & Staff). Now I'm freaking out that she isn't doing enough writing so I rushed to Barnes and Noble and picked up a daily journal prompt so she can write on various topics each day.
We are however thriving in Geography. We might be taking it slow but I know the 11 year old is really retaining. We're not concentrating on what mountains or valleys are in each country, because quite frankly who really cares? But, we are delving deep into the culture and political dynamics. I'm not sure how many 11 year olds could discuss Russia's revolution of 1917 and then the collapse of the Soviet Union but my Julia certainly can. Maybe it's because I'm a lover of this kind of thing but I value knowledge of countries and their histories. Julia today has an understanding of where we are with ties to Russia and where Putin (president) is taking the country.
As with Julia I'm not freaking out that the 16 year olds are not doing enough writing. I do see them making the turn on reading. They both never had any interest in reading really but today they rushed to finish The Kite Runner because they enjoyed it so much. This really warmed my heart. I'm passionate about reading. They dread writing, I know that already. I'm am assigning them a 6-8 page research paper on the topic of their choosing. Hopefully if it's something they are concerned about maybe they will embrace the writing process.
Even though I find this teaching thing stressful I would rather be stressed and not able to sleep at night then send them off to public school. It's not the place for my children. At this point I'm not even really about negative influences on them in the public school setting but more that the atmosphere would actually hurt their hearts. All three have a love for Jesus and being in such an environment would make them heart sick for sure.
I find the responsibility of their education to be a huge stresser for me. Although we chose a school prior I never considered their education to be a stresser. I had left it up to the teachers. Paul and I had high expectations for grades and our kids met those expectations for the most part so there was nothing to worry about. Now here I am worried sick that I'm going to dumb down my kids.
My 16 year olds are tired of me asking them if they think they are learning, am I giving them enough, etc. "Yes, Mom we're learning stop asking me!" Well, I can't help it!
There was no way I was going to teach Science and Math. I hate both subjects and I know I don't have a solid enough understanding to teach them. They all 3 attend a homeschool co-op for these subjects. I think a lot of homeschool parents want the older children to work independently. That's just not for me. I feel like if I do that I'm just throwing a book at them and ignoring them. Our oldest two probably wish their work was done more independently though. I usually read their History lesson out loud and ask them to follow along. It's not that they are babies it's just that I want to be able to stop and have discussion with them. That's the one thing I valued with the traditional classroom setting; discussion. In Literature I always read 1 chapter out loud and then assign the next 2 chapters for them to read. This has been helpful when we read books like The Kite Runner. We stopped and did have that discussion which I think they secretly enjoyed.
My 11 year old seems to already understand all of the English that she's learning. This has made things easier for me of course because she is flying through things but I worry that we're wasting time. I chose what was considered the best English course for 6th grade based on reviews (Rod & Staff). Now I'm freaking out that she isn't doing enough writing so I rushed to Barnes and Noble and picked up a daily journal prompt so she can write on various topics each day.
We are however thriving in Geography. We might be taking it slow but I know the 11 year old is really retaining. We're not concentrating on what mountains or valleys are in each country, because quite frankly who really cares? But, we are delving deep into the culture and political dynamics. I'm not sure how many 11 year olds could discuss Russia's revolution of 1917 and then the collapse of the Soviet Union but my Julia certainly can. Maybe it's because I'm a lover of this kind of thing but I value knowledge of countries and their histories. Julia today has an understanding of where we are with ties to Russia and where Putin (president) is taking the country.
As with Julia I'm not freaking out that the 16 year olds are not doing enough writing. I do see them making the turn on reading. They both never had any interest in reading really but today they rushed to finish The Kite Runner because they enjoyed it so much. This really warmed my heart. I'm passionate about reading. They dread writing, I know that already. I'm am assigning them a 6-8 page research paper on the topic of their choosing. Hopefully if it's something they are concerned about maybe they will embrace the writing process.
Even though I find this teaching thing stressful I would rather be stressed and not able to sleep at night then send them off to public school. It's not the place for my children. At this point I'm not even really about negative influences on them in the public school setting but more that the atmosphere would actually hurt their hearts. All three have a love for Jesus and being in such an environment would make them heart sick for sure.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Getting Through Those Teen Years
Society today is very concerned about bullying and with good reason. So many times kids become outcasts and they become targets. It's a hearbreaking scenario and I can only imagine the pain these kids experience being picked on.
What about the kids that experience success? I was never one of those kids. I didn't have a natural atheltic ability to succeed in sports. I was not a brain by any means. I wasn't the pretty girl all the boys liked either. I was thankfully ordinary enough to have a few good friends but not so odd as to be picked on. I actually envied the girls who had all those great talents and looks. It wasn't until I had my oldest daughter that I realized that those girls probably didn't have it so great as I looked on.
My Kendell is 16 and she's a pretty girl. Boys like her because she's a nice girl, isn't terribly shy around them so while they are quite nervous they can feel comfortable around her and have a conversation with her. She isn't so hyper and airheaded and giggly that it scares them off. She also happens to be a great student and school has always come easy to her. Kendell loves volleyball and horse riding. Because she has a demanding mom (think Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mom) she has worked hard at both of those sports and has had a lot of success in both. It's a great joy to see your child have success in so many areas. I'm proud of Kendell. What isn't such a joy is to see her be the object of ridicule and nasty treatment by peers and believe it or not, other parents.
I cannot tell you how many times my 16 year old has come home in tears because of situations where the volleyball coach said something about her being good at the sport and giving her a varsity jersey as a freshmen and other girls on the junior varisty team telling her she didn't deserve the spot and even going so far as to quit volleyball because of my daughter.
We've had parents complain about her knowing all the answers in class. Suggesting that she not raise her hand to answer the question every time because it might make others feel bad. Yes, a father actually said that to her and I. The problem is, Kendell never raised her hand in class because she doesn't want people to think she is a brain.
Currently we have a mother at the barn where she boards her horse that has been just awful to her because Kendell is more advanced than her 12 year old daughter. Kendell is also more advanced than the 24 year old assistnat riding instructor and now Kendell is experiencing this riding instructor complaining about her being more advanced. They miss the fact that Kendell is 16 and has been riding since she was 6 and rides 5 days a week practicing so that she is as good as she is. And why on Earth would somone begrudge another person's success?
I just never thought being successful would cause a problem for a teenager but it almost seems it's worse than being unsuccessful.
It seems that maybe the safest way to be as a kid is just plain and ordinary. What a screwed up world we live in.
What about the kids that experience success? I was never one of those kids. I didn't have a natural atheltic ability to succeed in sports. I was not a brain by any means. I wasn't the pretty girl all the boys liked either. I was thankfully ordinary enough to have a few good friends but not so odd as to be picked on. I actually envied the girls who had all those great talents and looks. It wasn't until I had my oldest daughter that I realized that those girls probably didn't have it so great as I looked on.
My Kendell is 16 and she's a pretty girl. Boys like her because she's a nice girl, isn't terribly shy around them so while they are quite nervous they can feel comfortable around her and have a conversation with her. She isn't so hyper and airheaded and giggly that it scares them off. She also happens to be a great student and school has always come easy to her. Kendell loves volleyball and horse riding. Because she has a demanding mom (think Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mom) she has worked hard at both of those sports and has had a lot of success in both. It's a great joy to see your child have success in so many areas. I'm proud of Kendell. What isn't such a joy is to see her be the object of ridicule and nasty treatment by peers and believe it or not, other parents.
I cannot tell you how many times my 16 year old has come home in tears because of situations where the volleyball coach said something about her being good at the sport and giving her a varsity jersey as a freshmen and other girls on the junior varisty team telling her she didn't deserve the spot and even going so far as to quit volleyball because of my daughter.
We've had parents complain about her knowing all the answers in class. Suggesting that she not raise her hand to answer the question every time because it might make others feel bad. Yes, a father actually said that to her and I. The problem is, Kendell never raised her hand in class because she doesn't want people to think she is a brain.
Currently we have a mother at the barn where she boards her horse that has been just awful to her because Kendell is more advanced than her 12 year old daughter. Kendell is also more advanced than the 24 year old assistnat riding instructor and now Kendell is experiencing this riding instructor complaining about her being more advanced. They miss the fact that Kendell is 16 and has been riding since she was 6 and rides 5 days a week practicing so that she is as good as she is. And why on Earth would somone begrudge another person's success?
I just never thought being successful would cause a problem for a teenager but it almost seems it's worse than being unsuccessful.
It seems that maybe the safest way to be as a kid is just plain and ordinary. What a screwed up world we live in.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
A New Passion For The Family---Rugby!
Making this move to Texas has been a struggle most for our 16 year olds. Their whole world was their small Christian school and church in Iowa. It's never easy for teenagers to venture into new surroundings anyway and having to do it in a new state just makes it worse.
But today was a great day for the entire family. Ben has joined a Rugby club. We don't do Rugby in Iowa. We've never even seen it played. Wow! It was awesome. He's only had 2 practices and this was his first ever game but he was awsome!!! He scored too!
Kendell was so into the game she couldn't bring herself to sit down. :o)
So now I have a uniform full of grass stains to scrub out but I'm so ok with that. Rugby is so exciting and Ben was clearly enjoying himself. I'm so proud of him for taking those steps and putting himself in a new situation and thriving in it.
I guess we'll stay in Texas after all. :o)
But today was a great day for the entire family. Ben has joined a Rugby club. We don't do Rugby in Iowa. We've never even seen it played. Wow! It was awesome. He's only had 2 practices and this was his first ever game but he was awsome!!! He scored too!
Kendell was so into the game she couldn't bring herself to sit down. :o)
So now I have a uniform full of grass stains to scrub out but I'm so ok with that. Rugby is so exciting and Ben was clearly enjoying himself. I'm so proud of him for taking those steps and putting himself in a new situation and thriving in it.
I guess we'll stay in Texas after all. :o)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
A Full Time Husband
After two years of being a single mom with a career the Lord brought me a husband. I was overjoyed of course because I had been praying for a good Christian man for awhile and I got one quite unexpectedly.
Having been on my own for awhile I had grown accustomed to doing things my way and coming and going as I pleased. My mother thought my new husband was perfect for me because in reality he would really be a part time husband. Paul you see, works in the oil industry and he worked overseas. His routine was to be overseas for 5 weeks straight working and then he was given 5 weeks off at home. So, a loving husband who made me laugh and cherished family and also let me do my own thing. PEFECT.
Ok, so we did this for 5 1/2 years (thats how long we've been married). I quickly found out that things with the house only broke when he was overseas. That children caused me trouble only when he was overseas. Honestly, it wasn't horrible but not always easy. BUT, when Paul received a promotion to the corporate office in Texas we jumped at it. No more being gone for 5 weeks at a time. Home every evening like a "normal person".
So what does this mean for the wife who was so used to having things on her terms? I really can't complain. I love him so I never tire of his presence. There are a few things though that I am getting used to. Before Paul came and went at such different times through the years that he never really followed any sports. It was hard to keep up but now after only 3 1/2 months the man has become a dedicated Texans fan and can spend an entire weekend afternoon watching football and yelling at the TV. And I hearing "Honey, come and watch this!". Umm, I'm kind of busy washing your dirty laundry, Baby. There is also the issue of my husband being a workaholic. He can sit in front of his laptop all evening answering emails and working on well, I have no idea what he is working on.
All in all we're thrilled with having the big guy around.
Having been on my own for awhile I had grown accustomed to doing things my way and coming and going as I pleased. My mother thought my new husband was perfect for me because in reality he would really be a part time husband. Paul you see, works in the oil industry and he worked overseas. His routine was to be overseas for 5 weeks straight working and then he was given 5 weeks off at home. So, a loving husband who made me laugh and cherished family and also let me do my own thing. PEFECT.
Ok, so we did this for 5 1/2 years (thats how long we've been married). I quickly found out that things with the house only broke when he was overseas. That children caused me trouble only when he was overseas. Honestly, it wasn't horrible but not always easy. BUT, when Paul received a promotion to the corporate office in Texas we jumped at it. No more being gone for 5 weeks at a time. Home every evening like a "normal person".
So what does this mean for the wife who was so used to having things on her terms? I really can't complain. I love him so I never tire of his presence. There are a few things though that I am getting used to. Before Paul came and went at such different times through the years that he never really followed any sports. It was hard to keep up but now after only 3 1/2 months the man has become a dedicated Texans fan and can spend an entire weekend afternoon watching football and yelling at the TV. And I hearing "Honey, come and watch this!". Umm, I'm kind of busy washing your dirty laundry, Baby. There is also the issue of my husband being a workaholic. He can sit in front of his laptop all evening answering emails and working on well, I have no idea what he is working on.
All in all we're thrilled with having the big guy around.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Those that give us a bad name
This evening Kendell and I attended a panel discussion on Islam and Christianity hosted by our church. Members from the local mosque here in town came to be in the audience and 4 to sit on the panel. We had 3 Christians sitting on the panel as well.
Our pastor had been very clear in the morning service that this was not to be a debate but open discussion to better understand the two faiths and to understand the differences.
I love discussions like this and have always been intruiged by the Muslim community. Kendell and I looked forward to the night.
Both the Christians and the Muslims on the panel were careful not to get into the nitty gritty of the issues which I was disappointed to hear. When the woman speaker for the Christian side discussed a woman's place in society she clearly stated that she was going to talk about this from the Baptist woman's place. She was clear to point out that we answer to God and our relationship with Him is of our own personal choice but she didn't go to the point of sharing with the Muslims in attendance that we as Baptist do not believe woman should lead a Church. That she is to submit to the husband (and by the way that is not a degrading thing) etc. The Muslim speaker on the same topic was careful as well leaving out that man has the right to beat his wife.
In the end the discussion was so/so but what was most startling and upsetting was the behavior of our worship leader who was sitting in the audience. Our church hosted this event and as I stated earlier, our pastor was clear that we were to be hospitable hosts.
As with any time you get an audience of people there is always that one person that wants to stand up and give his/her thoughts on every topic. They always talk too much and never really have anything of value to say. These people usually don't realize they are annoying. We had one of those folks in the audience. He wa an elderly man and Muslim. He got up several times to give his thoughts, never being rude or argumentative though. The last time he stood up someone behind me yelled loudly "No! Sit down! He's not on the panel!" Guess who? Our worship leader and he got a couple of the other guys sitting next to him to yell it as well. I was appalled.
Later when a nice Muslim man on the panel stood up and was trying to explain Jihad and what it meant to Muslims (and no it didn't mean to him what it meant to the terrorists on 9/11) our lovely worship leader said loudly, "That's not what it meant on 9/11!" and he didn't say it with a sweet voice.
So in the end while the Muslims are clearly wrong and are following a crazy pedophile for a prophet they this evening where much more pleasant and respectful than our Christian brother. I wanted to hold up a sign that said "I'm not with him."
Our pastor had been very clear in the morning service that this was not to be a debate but open discussion to better understand the two faiths and to understand the differences.
I love discussions like this and have always been intruiged by the Muslim community. Kendell and I looked forward to the night.
Both the Christians and the Muslims on the panel were careful not to get into the nitty gritty of the issues which I was disappointed to hear. When the woman speaker for the Christian side discussed a woman's place in society she clearly stated that she was going to talk about this from the Baptist woman's place. She was clear to point out that we answer to God and our relationship with Him is of our own personal choice but she didn't go to the point of sharing with the Muslims in attendance that we as Baptist do not believe woman should lead a Church. That she is to submit to the husband (and by the way that is not a degrading thing) etc. The Muslim speaker on the same topic was careful as well leaving out that man has the right to beat his wife.
In the end the discussion was so/so but what was most startling and upsetting was the behavior of our worship leader who was sitting in the audience. Our church hosted this event and as I stated earlier, our pastor was clear that we were to be hospitable hosts.
As with any time you get an audience of people there is always that one person that wants to stand up and give his/her thoughts on every topic. They always talk too much and never really have anything of value to say. These people usually don't realize they are annoying. We had one of those folks in the audience. He wa an elderly man and Muslim. He got up several times to give his thoughts, never being rude or argumentative though. The last time he stood up someone behind me yelled loudly "No! Sit down! He's not on the panel!" Guess who? Our worship leader and he got a couple of the other guys sitting next to him to yell it as well. I was appalled.
Later when a nice Muslim man on the panel stood up and was trying to explain Jihad and what it meant to Muslims (and no it didn't mean to him what it meant to the terrorists on 9/11) our lovely worship leader said loudly, "That's not what it meant on 9/11!" and he didn't say it with a sweet voice.
So in the end while the Muslims are clearly wrong and are following a crazy pedophile for a prophet they this evening where much more pleasant and respectful than our Christian brother. I wanted to hold up a sign that said "I'm not with him."
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Happy Birthday To Me
I turned 38 the other day. I'm not sure how I got here; to 38 I mean. High School graduation was just the other day. :o) By the time you are 38 I'm pretty sure you should be all grown up but I still experience the insecurities of not being sure of myself which to me is a younger person's issues.
So, to top off the birthday I have been experiencing some medical issues in the past month. I've spent enough time self diagnosing myself so I figured it was time to locate a family doctor here in Texas. After giving this new family doctor a ton of my blood he explains I have this issue where my thyroid is functioning fine but I have these anti immune things that are attacking my thyroid....but again, my thyroid is functioning fine. Ummm, I didn't even go in for my thyroid. My issue is more along the female functioning stuff. After he used lots of words I reallyd didn't understand he explains now he wants more blood. I think he's a vampire personally. Dear husband is there with me and he is all "of course give him more blood". Uhhh, I think I'll pass, thanks. And so we left.
Dear oldest sister calls to find out what the doctor says and I explain and she is apparently miffed that I didn't give the vampire more blood either. Then dear mother and dear aunt are on the phone and they are explaining to me that "at my age" I need to start taking better care of myself. Hello! I'm 38, people not 78!!!! This coming from a woman who never went in for a gyno exam in all the years I was growing up. They kindly preceding to diagnose my issues and eplain I need to see a gyno. No kidding?
Anyway, I'm alive and I've never had a health problem before except when I carried my daughters who both nearly killed me.
In the end I am dumping this new family vampire/doctor. We'll see about that gyno appt.......
So, to top off the birthday I have been experiencing some medical issues in the past month. I've spent enough time self diagnosing myself so I figured it was time to locate a family doctor here in Texas. After giving this new family doctor a ton of my blood he explains I have this issue where my thyroid is functioning fine but I have these anti immune things that are attacking my thyroid....but again, my thyroid is functioning fine. Ummm, I didn't even go in for my thyroid. My issue is more along the female functioning stuff. After he used lots of words I reallyd didn't understand he explains now he wants more blood. I think he's a vampire personally. Dear husband is there with me and he is all "of course give him more blood". Uhhh, I think I'll pass, thanks. And so we left.
Dear oldest sister calls to find out what the doctor says and I explain and she is apparently miffed that I didn't give the vampire more blood either. Then dear mother and dear aunt are on the phone and they are explaining to me that "at my age" I need to start taking better care of myself. Hello! I'm 38, people not 78!!!! This coming from a woman who never went in for a gyno exam in all the years I was growing up. They kindly preceding to diagnose my issues and eplain I need to see a gyno. No kidding?
Anyway, I'm alive and I've never had a health problem before except when I carried my daughters who both nearly killed me.
In the end I am dumping this new family vampire/doctor. We'll see about that gyno appt.......
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